I have been streaming DSD ISO/FLAC hires from Window 7 to DS via Bridge II, really happy with the smooth connection and SQ.

Since my music library gets bigger and bigger, there are afew HDD attached to my W7 laptop. I think I’m ready to go on Synology NAS path to be computerless. To use Minumserver for FLAC and jRiver for DSD ISO, not sure which Synology model suits (either 2bay or 4bay)? Thanks Folks.

I have used Synology NASs for a few years now and like them. The operating system (DSM) is easy to learn and works well. I have used two-bay models. Most Synology units have a fan, which might be an issue if you will sit very close. (The fan only turns on when necessary, and there is an option in DSM to have it turn on less frequently if slightly higher temps are OK.) Mine is in an audio rack on the other side of the room and I can’t hear it from my chair. But the larger units do have bigger fans; you can see the decibel levels in the specs on the Synology website.

I use a RAID setup where the two disks mirror each other; this way, if one crashes, the other still has all the data. I backup once or twice a week to a portable USB drive, of which I have three, two kept at off-site locations and swapped out once a month. RAID can be tricky to set up but the Synology DSM made it easy. I suggest avoiding the low-end Synology models (the ones that end -j) since they may not have enough power to do things like transcoding audio files.

MinimServer controlled by a tablet is my preferred setup. It’s great to not run a full-size computer for audio playback. However, I am not sure that you can use ISO files without JRiver or Foobar2000, which means keeping the computer in the mix. I don’t use ISOs, so hopefully others can give better info about this. (DSD albums with separate tracks are fine.)